Capcom Arcade iOS Review

Play your favorite classics in this arcade release from Capcom.

Capcom arcade is a collection of classic Arcade games from back in the day. There are such classics as Street Fighter 2, 1942, Ghost and Goblins and Commando. Each game offers its own unique gameplay style and despite being on the iOS, nothing has changed in the form of gameplay besides the controls which are now touch based. 

 

The App is based on a limited play time but if you want more then you should pay. You are given 3 coins every day to play any of the 4 arcade machines. You must use those coins that day as they do not carry over to the next day. If 3 coins are not enough for you, you can also purchase 10 coins for $1 bringing the total to 10 cents a game. Just like the arcade you must pay every time you lose all your lives or in the case of Street Fighter 2 once you lose the match which is set up of 2 rounds.

The App is free to download and is ad supported but the adds don't really get in the way as they are small banners on the top left corner. For 3 plays a day that seems like a pretty good deal since most players won't even play as much, but it's always nice to have the option to purchase more play's until you realized that you have spent over $500 over the course.

 

Graphically all games retain their classic look. There is really nothing much to say as you have probably played these games before and if you haven't then you're missing on some great games. The only game that sometimes has slowdowns is Street Fighter 2 but those are often rare and it is only affected when you have other APPs open with multitasking or if you have a previous generation device with only 128mb of memory. 

 

The controls are amazing. Each game has their own unique controller. If you've played Street Fighter 4 for the iOS, Street FIghter 2 retains the same controller configuration. There are times when you accidently press the wrong buttons and if an opponent is too far to the left  then it will be hard to see as your thumb will be blocking him and their movements. 1942 uses a touch method with automatic shooting, Ghost and Goblins uses the original NES D-Pad style and Commando uses a D-Pad with automatic shooting and grenades. 

Closing Comments:

Capcom Classic Arcade offers 4 titles with more coming soon with 3 free plays a day and the option to purchase more plays for only $1. It is a free game and it's definitely worth downloading as they do offer the 3 free plays option. All Classic titles retain their original look and sound and even for Street Fighter 2 the game is more than worth the download. There is no multiplayer option and I hope Capcom adds this feature soon but in the mean time playing by yourself isn't as bad as it seems. There is also Art which can be unlocked and viewed in the counter menu from all games. Capcom Arcade is definitely a must if you have an iOS device.

GamePlay: Classic gameplay from 4 of Capcom's past. Street Fighter 2 alone is worth the download. 10/10

Sound: All games retain their classic sound and music with clarity. 9/10

Graphics: Commando and 1942 have aged but their style of gameplay match the titles feel. Ghost and Goblins and Street Fighter 2 are still perfect even today. 9/10

Performance: All games perform flawlessly  except for Street Fighter 2 which has a framerate drops every now and then. 8/10

LifeSpan: 3 Free plays sometimes isn't enough but you always have the option to purchase more plays for only $1. All Arcade titles are complete and could bring hours of gameplay assuming you don't get defeated or die instantly. 8/10

Total Score: 88/100

NIS America and Imageepooch! announced partnership.

NIS AMERICA TALKS ABOUT FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES WITH IMAGEEPOCH!


Santa Ana, CA (Nov 30, 2010) –NIS America announced today its exciting new partnership with Imageepochfor future titles. Imageepochis the well known developer for the highly appraised JRPG series, Luminous Arc.

Imageepochis currently working on several new JRPG titles, which are scheduled to be released in 2011 in Japan. NIS America is excited to work with this distinguished company, Imageepoch, for the possibility to bring their highly anticipated games to North America and Europe.

In regards to the relationship with Imageepoch, “I am excited about revealing the announcement that we are going into a partnership with Imageepoch,”Haru Akenaga, President of NIS America, commented. “I am attracted by their philosophy of creating games. Imageepochis already a distinguished videogame developer in Japan. Not only that, but it is my firm belief that their future titles will fascinate JRPG fans in the US and Europe in the near future.”



Please look forward to future announcements regarding Imageepoch titles.

EA happy Bond license transferred publishers.

Also talks about the future of movie based titles.


Movie based titles are either a hit or a miss but it doesn't seem to garner enough cash for publishers to be happy. EA which holds the Harry Potter license but let go of the Bond license a couple of years ago say they are happy to let go the franchise.

"We dumped that licence because we felt like we needed to own more intellectual property, and we don’t like where James Bond is going with all the creative limitations on it. The percentage royalties you have to pay the licensors are going the wrong way for publishers. The margins are being squeezed. And, to top it all off, the movie-game business is falling apart.
Considering the total amount of money we have to spend on those types of James Bond games, and the total amount of man-hours we had to put into them, we thought; hell, let’s work on our own IP. The guys who made James Bond games for us, well yeah, they went on and made Dead Space.
And look where we are now; what would you rather publish, retail and play – the latest James Bond or Dead Space 2?"

The Bond license which tries to keep up with new movies or sometimes try to create their own story sometimes have shorter Dev life cycles, what that means is that the Publisher will not give the Developers enough time to complete the game which means the game will most likely ship with a lot of bugs and crashes as seen in both Bond titles that released earlier (Bloodstone and Goldeneye Remake). Activision is a great Publisher for doing just that and pushing titles that ship with so many problems that it angers players. You can see examples in the new Call of Duty Black Ops as well as BloodStone and Goldeneye Remake which has many visual problems as well as framerate issues etc.

EA says it will focus on Quality more now than every.

"Quality. We were shipping games that weren’t very good, that were late, and at the same time we had a cultural problem at the company that was creating problems with quality. Those three things have been my focus – I want to create the best games organisation in the world.


Two years ago, when I took over the organisation, quality was in the low-70s, we had a lot of franchises and many of them weren’t healthy. Need For Speed was sliding in quality, Medal Of Honor barely existed, and when I came in, it was apparent to me that the best studios in the world have their own cultures, and not a lot of ours had that.

Look at DICE, look at Blizzard, look at BioWare – these groups have their own distinct workplace culture and development ethos. We have to foster that. We have to decentralise the studios – creating what we call city-states, where developers have their own creative autonomy and their own business. And we have to give developers more time to put the polish into games to make them great.
I want to have the best development organisation in the world, and that’s measured by the risks we take creatively, the quality we deliver inside of the products, and the commitments we make to the company. That’s not something that can be done overnight; it takes two years to build a quality game, and now I think our strategy is becoming vindicated."

Whether or not EA can deliver all depend on the titles they will be shipping in the near future.


Source

Sega adds new Genesis games to it's PlaySega website.

Sign up for 3 months and get a free Joypad.


If you love playing on your PC and enjoy playing the classic titles from Sega's past then you will definitely want to join Sega's PlaySega. You get to play classic titles like the newly added Sonic The Hedgehog 3 and Knuckles, Revenge of Shinoby, Toejam and Earl, Alex Kidd, Ecco and other classic titles.

Sign up for 3 months and you can also get a free JoyPad which resembles the Saturn control. There are achievements for games as well as the chance to win real cash. You can also try out a free 5 day trial but for the Free controller it's worth signing up for 3 months. You can find more information over at PlaySega.com and start your free trial and best part is you don't need a credit card to start your trial.

Sega talks about Sonic 4 problems.

Sonic 4 was Sonic's return to it's classic gameplay style but not everyone enjoyed it as Sega thought they would.


In our review of Sonic 4 we talked about how Sonic wasn't what it was back in the day even though there was a lot of hype for it's return to classic side scrolling. The controls were bad and Sonic didn't really respond to the users command. In a talk with Iizuka-san's he said:

"In this title, we have not done a straight port of the gameplay [from the Genesis games], but rather updated it with actions which could not be done in the previous titles, like ceiling-running. These changes probably made for a different feel to the longtime Sonic fans. We’re happy for feedback like this, and we'll make sure we can improve the quality even further in upcoming titles."

Sonic 4 was a nice try but it wasn't up to par with the classic Sonic style of gameplay. Sonic 4 is an episodic game and Episode 2 should be arriving later next year, hopefully Sega could fix all these issues before release and Episode 1 could be fixed with an update but at this time the game is what it is. You either love it or hate it.

Source

Football Manager 2011 PC Review

Manage your favorite Soccer team any way you want.

Football manager puts the clipboard in your hand by allowing you to coach your very own professional team. There are various teams from different countries and different leagues in which you can choose to coach just one or several teams. Each team varies in stats and in players however throughout your career as a coach you can choose who to bring into the team and who to cut and watch the fruits of your labor as your dream team takes on other teams from around the world.

When you first start out, you create your own profile. You can set your name and your location and even upload your very own picture to your profile. Next you must select a team. You can select any major team that is known around the world. Not all countries are available which is a letdown if your country didn't make it. Football Manager focuses more on European Teams than anything else so if you love Pro Evolution Soccer from Konami, this would be a great football managing game.

It takes some time to get used to the menu but once you get used to it, it's very simple to navigate to. If you have the time then spend the time otherwise you will not enjoy the game. I actually went into a few matches without any team members on the bench to substitute players when they're tired. Each window serves its purpose. You can manage play's, players and even manage your email which is where the story is advanced. 

For plays you are given a look of the field and you can adjust players accordingly. I always go for the 3-4-3 method as it gives me a better offence but less players defending your goal keeper means lower defense. You can have several plays and switch between them in field which we'll get into in a few minutes. In the player window you can view the player's stats, history and how much money he is currently making. You can interact with the players by asking them questions and you can even cut them on the spot if they are being jerks. If you change a few things around and the player is not happy he will approach you and tell you the reason he is not happy. From then you can tell them what is wrong with them and tell them to start flying straight or you will let them go. You practically have Pro Soccer Players kissing your feet which is a good feeling. I am not a huge David Beckham fan and just telling him to go screw himself is worth buying this game. 

Your game advances through the email system which gives you inside tips on what is going on in the Soccer world. You are given tips on players who are free agents or are looking to switch soon. You can then negotiate a contract and if it sounds sweet to the player he will sign with your team.

From time to time you will be called into press conferences in which you have the decision to Storm out or answer questions. You are given a set of answers for each question and based on the answers you are either viewed as a great coach or someone who needs to retire which affects your future career if you want a promotion or want to go to a different team. 

Football Manager is more than just earning money for your team and trades. You are also in charge of how intense your players training is. Work them too hard and they will become tired and possibly get injured for the rest of the season. Not training them right means lost games left and right. You have to make sure your players are happy and you can find out how they feel overall when you speak with them one on one. 

Training your players and having a great formation will pay off once you see your team square off against another team. You can watch the whole game unfold right before your eyes. However this doesn't mean that you just get to sit back and relax. You must also manage your team by switching tactics, positions and substitutions throughout the game . You can also control the game with the in game controls which let you fast-forward through the game or rewind to an earlier time in the game. You can also set up different camera angles and even switch to the classic 2D view which shows your players as circles in a flat Soccer field. 

Football manage is not about graphics as it's more of a program that lets you manage teams just like Quicken lets you manage your taxes. However the players could have used more detailed textures when playing against other teams. In other soccer games like Fifa and PES players are detailed and you can tell them apart but in Football Manager, the only way to see who anyone is, is by clicking on them. I know that Football Manager can't compare to Fifa or PES because it's not in the same category and I agree but it would be nice if the Devs would have added more details to the players.

There is virtually no sound in the game other than when you are playing against other teams. Sound quality then is decent at best. Better have your MP3 player in hand while managing your favorite team.

Football Manager is a great game aimed towards people who love Fantasy Games like Fantasy Football (NFL), Fantasy NBA etc. There is a lot to do from managing players to their contracts and training . You must also make sure your sponsors keep sponsoring you with money to run the team otherwise you will have to make cutbacks and you team will definitely suffer because all the good players will leave. Football Manager can get addicting even for those who don't like games like this. You can spend hours playing and not even realize that you are late for work. 

Closing Comments:

Football Manager is aimed for the people who are into fantasy sports and those same people will get a kick out of this game. It's fun and entertaining. You can give raises to your favorite players or tell the player you hate to most that there is a fresh pile of Cow Manure his name on it. You are in control of your team and you get to run the team your way whether you assistants like it or not. There is even a network mode but for the life of me I couldn't figure out how to use it, but other than that this is a great game and if you love to be in control of things. 

Gameplay: Telling any player you hate to go jump in a trashcan is the best thing since sliced bread. You are in control of your team and you manage it anyway you like it and watch the fruits of your labor on the big screen. 9/10

Graphics: Players could use more detail when being viewed on the TV and textures could have been better. 5/10

Sound: Hardly any sound effects or music. Better have something to keep your ears entertained.

3/10

Performance: No lag time when the players do get on screen and game flows smoothly throughout the season. 8/10

LifeSpan: Hours feel like minutes. Better start coming up with excuses on why you are late to work.

10/10

Total Score: 70/100

Battlefield play4free - prezentacja na Dreamhack

Na konferencji podczas wielkiej imprezy Dreamhack, DICE zaserwowało fanom prawie dwugodzinną prezentację nowego Battlefield Play4Free. Filmik poniżej, prezentacja zaczyna się około 13 minuty, radzę szybko przewinąć nim zniszczy was mózgotrzepiąca muza :)


Watch live video from dreamarena on Justin.tv

Najważniejsze informacje:

• otwarta beta startuje w lutym 2011
• grę tworzy ekipa odpowiedzialna za Battlefield: Heroes
• pojazdy i mapy wzięte z BF2
• system rozgrywki bardziej jak w BC2
• płatności i cały system awansów jak w BF:Heroes
• gra wyjdzie jedynie na PC
• Na pewno pojawią się w grze mapy: Strike at Karkand, Gulf of Oman, Sharqi Penninsula

No cóż, na razie możemy jedynie czekać...

Sega Dreamcast RF Adapter as an HD Antenna.

Get rid of the coat hanger and bring out your old school console with an RF Unit.


You save your money to purchase your brand new HDTV but there's one problem. You don't have cable or satellite and you still want to watch your local channels. Now you have to spend extra cash buying an HD Antenna to go with your HDTV. Don't have any extra cash on you? You can always do the coat hanger and use that on your brand new HDTV but 1. it will look ugly when you have company over and 2. You don't want to stick things that don't belong on your brand new HDTV.

If you have a game console with an RF Adapter you're in luck because you can use that very same adapter as an HD Antenna and the best part is that it receives the channels in HD. In this video I use the RF unit and do a quick scan to show you that it works perfectly. It's a cheap and easy solution and it's better than forking over extra cash or sticking a coat hanger on your HDTV. Enjoy.

Yakuza 4 Trailer.

The trailer for the upcoming Yakuza 4 video game exclusive to the PS3.

A SEGA Turkey Day Treat - New Conduit 2 Intro Trailer and Screens

Check out the latest screens and trailer for the Conduit 2.




Conduit 2 is the second chapter in the epic story of Secret Agent Michael Ford, a tormented man who barely survived the alien invasion of Washington D.C. In the closing minutes of The Conduit, Michael was faced with a choice: follow the nefarious John Adams through the conduit portal or die. Standing in Adams’ bunker as the invasion of Washington D.C. rages above him, starring at the strange conduit in front of him, Michael had only one choice. Follow the bastard and finish this once and for all.












 

GT5 vs Forza 3: Battle of the graphics.

Here are a few pics that shows off the power of PS3 and Xbox 360.


Forza 3 when it first released on October 2009, it was a beautifully well made game and had better graphics than its predecessor Forza 2. Now with the release of Gran Turismo 5 and 6 years in the making it truly shows the power of the PS3 on top of what a dedicated team can come up with .

Here are a few pics from Forza 3 and GT5 comparing the graphics side by side.









Source

Total War: Shogun 2 Box Art Revealed.

The Box Art and trailer for Total War: Shogun 2




SEGA of America is proud to show off the new packfront and logo for The Creative Assembly’s latest PC Strategy game, Total War: Shogun 2.

Total War: Shogun 2 will feature enhanced full 3D battles via land and sea as well as the tactical campaign map. The game will also be featuring a brand new AI system inspired by the scriptures that influenced Japanese warfare and the Chinese “Art of War”. The Creative Assembly analyzed these ancient texts so that they could implement something easy to understand, yet deep in strategy.

The Creative Assembly’s Total War: Shogun 2 will be available for the PC on March 15, 2010

Lucha Libre gets price cut.

Wii and PSP version release date also announced.

SLANG  LOWERS PRICE OF LUCHA LIBRE AAA: HEROES DEL RING JUST IN TIME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

REDWOOD CITY, CA – OCTOBER 12, 2010 – Just in time for the start of the holiday shopping season, Slang has announced that a retail price adjustment will take place immediately for Lucha Libre AAA: Heroes del Ring. Available on PlayStation^®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360^® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Lucha Libre AAA: Heroes del Ring is now available for $39.99.

“Just in time for the holiday season we are lowering lowered the retail price of Lucha Libre AAA: Heroes del Ring making it more affordable for shoppers and the perfect gift for gamers,” said Abraham Bautista, CEO of Slang. “Lucha Libre AAA: Heroes del Ring is a festive entertainment offering value priced for families this holiday season and filled with over-the-top action, humor, intrigue, intense competition making it an authentic Mexican Lucha Libre

experience.”

Distributed by Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. and published under license of Televisa Home Entertainment, Lucha Libre AAA: Heroes del Ring provides fans with an arcade extravaganza of Mexican Lucha at a holiday friendly price point.  It bends the sport’s rich tradition and history with the spectacle, flavor and over-the-edge acrobatic action found only inside the six-sided ring. Lucha Libre AAA: Heroes del Ring allows fans to experience with thrilling single or multiplayer gameplay modes using one of more than 30 of the most superstar luchadores from the AAA league or their own one-of-a-kind character created using the critically applauded Character and Mask editor. 

Lucha Libre AAA: Heroes del Ring offers fans several new and improved gameplay features to the genre including Hair vs. Mask which is a winner takes all battle between rivals where the loser must endure the loss of pride and their characters mask or hair. Lucha Libre AAA: Heroes del Ring offers an entertaining story mode offers experience where players fight as either a Rudo or Técnico and along the way unlock new signature moves and hidden luchadores while defending their honor inside the ring. Multiplayer includes the highly touted Hair vs. Mask as well as Triple Threat and Fatal Four Way. 

Lucha Libre AAA: Heroes del Ring is rated T for Teen by the ESRB, and is currently available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Lucha Libre AAA: Heroes del Ring for Wii^™ system and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system will be available March 2011.

For more information, please visit www.heroesdelring.com.

About Slang
Slang is a console video game publisher dedicated to promoting the creativity and innovation of Hispanic culture and is the publishing venture of Latin America’s foremost videogame distributor for over 20 years, Gamexpress.   Based in Redwood City, CA, Slang specializes in delivering entertainment products derived from Hispanic culture into the mass market for the PlayStation^®3 computer entertainment system, PSP^® (PlayStation^®Portable) system, Xbox 360^® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Wii^™ and Nintendo DS^™.  Slang’s upcoming Lucha Libre AAA: Heroes del Ring will be released in Summer 2010.   

For more information on Slang go to www.slang.vg.

About Konami

Konami is a leading developer, publisher and manufacturer of electronic entertainment properties. Konami's titles include the popular franchises Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill, DanceDanceRevolution and Castlevania, among other top sellers. The latest information about Konami can be found on the Web at www.konami.com. KONAMI CORPORATION is a publicly traded company based in Tokyo, Japan with subsidiary offices, Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. in Tokyo, Japan, Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. in the United States and Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH in Frankfurt, Germany. KONAMI CORPORATION is traded in the United States on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol KNM. Details of the products published by Konami can be found at www.konami.com.

KONAMI is a registered trademark of KONAMI CORPORATION.

Konami Announces New Dragon Ball Game for the Nintendo DS

Another new game from the Anime series that just refuses to die.


Konami has announced a new Dragon Ball game for Japan which is said to be voice activated called Dragon Ball  Kai: Ultimate Butouden. No new details were given about the game besides the voice control which I'm sure will make you look like an idiot if you are talking to your DS while on the Bus or the train. But perhaps I'm judging too early.

Source